I always rolled my eyes when my dad would go on rants about how terrible fracking is. I also used to roll my eyes when my dad would constantly ask where certain foods came from and what they were made with when we would go out to eat. But I don’t roll my eyes at either anymore, and for very good reasons.

Fracking is simply the creation of large fissures in rock formations to allow more oil and gas to flow into wells and be extracted. So, why is it so controversial? Not only is fracking unhealthy for people, it also pollutes the water and air that supply human beings and the food sources of animals and plants as well.

Fracking adds to the already heavily chemicalized products animals are fed before being turned into food. Many Americans consume this food on a daily basis. These include milk, fish, certain vegetables and many United States livestock.

As hormones, chemicals and preservatives in foods and beverages increase studies suggest that there is an increase in physical and mental disorders in children and overall health issues in the general population.
I have noticed that the older I’ve gotten, the more sick most meats or foods containing chemicals, MGOs, heavy preservatives or brought in from polluted areas has made me.

I now can only eat small doses of any meat every so often and it has to be hormone-free or completely organic. Otherwise, I feel and even get sick.

However, many natural gas industries or corporations in fracking and chemically-modified foods deny or ignore the health risk problems such actions pose.

For example, Monsanto sprays an abundant amount of chemicals that pose major health risks on foods. Because it is practically a monopoly, they have a handful of important politicians in their pockets and are able to do whatever they desire to food.

Another example is places like Cabot Oil and Gas and Consol. Although in 2010, the mayor of my hometown, Pittsburgh, signed a bill to ban fracking, struggling companies atop of prime spots for fracking are being offered large sums by gas companies for the land. Because of this, in August of this year, Pittsburgh International Airport, which is close to my house, sold some of its land to Consol for fracking. Officials say it will bring in half of a billion dollars over the next 20 years.

I guess my health, as well as the health of over 300,000 other Pittsburgh residents is priced at half of a billion dollars. At first, fracking and chemical pollutants only distantly affected my health and the food my family bought. Now it may affect my water and air, too – as well as of 300,000 other Pittsburgh residents.